Let’s get one thing straight
Paul Galvin’s reputation as a Kerry footballer will not be diminished by his return to the Kingdom set up regardless of what happens. However, in order to improve his legend as one of the finest half-forwards in GAA, as football moved moved from skill over strength to brawn over beauty, will require a number of stars to allign.
For a moment let’s return to the statement Galvin made upon announcing his decision to walk away from Kerry last year. The Finuge man had been used in an unusual defensive move by Eamon Fitzmaurice as a half-back in the McGrath Cup.
It was felt that at 34 the North Kerry man could be reinvented as a stopper rather than a marauding wing forward gobbling up possession from between the two 45m lines. It was worth trying but supporters and pundits had their doubts. The received wisdom was that Galvin no longer ‘had the legs’ to start games and would have to be content with a place on the bench. His final game for Kerry was last January in the McGrath Cup against Cork as he made his second half introduction in the half-back line.
When he failed to appear in the squad for Kerry’s opening league game against Dublin in Croke Park two weeks later, the Kingdom ace retired. The four time All-Ireland winner issued a statement in the immediate aftermath of the game,
‘I want to thank all my team-mates for your heart and friendship over the years. Standing my ground with you in the Kerry jersey was my privilege. I learned more from you than anyone and I am grateful for the opportunity I got to play with some of the best players to ever play the game.
Having discussed it with the management during the week we felt it best to announce it after tonight’s game. Finally I want to thank Eamon and wish him, the management team and my brothers on the Kerry team the very best luck for 2014. I am proud to say I won All Irelands for Kerry and I am satisfied that I gave the cause everything I had in me.’
The news was just another blow to Kingdom supporters who had already lost Tomas O’Se and Eoin Brosnan from the side that had pushed Dublin all the way in an epic All-Ireland semi final the previous August. If Kerry fans were despairing at Galvin’s exit, their February was about to get a whole lot worse when Colm Cooper sustained a serious knee injury on club duty
Kerry looked doomed to a barren year and after just avoiding relegation the calls for Galvin to reconsider his decision became louder. However, the 2009 Footballer of the Year was steadfast in his resolution. So why, after Kerry managed to turn around their season so spectacularly and win a Munster and All-Ireland title, has he come back now?
The decision has been welcomed by the majority of Kerry supporters but it seems a little bit of a head scratcher, especially coming 48 hours after the Kingdom bullied Dublin in Killarney in the Allianz League. Kerry by no means have shown anything of their best form, or their best players, so far but new faces such as Jack Sherwood, Pa Kilkenny and the returning Tommy Walsh are all making an impact and impressing.
Eamon Fitzmaurice already has a huge selection headache on his hands and that’s without the return to action of Darran O Sullivan, Colm Cooper, Donnchadh Walsh or James O’Donoghue. Defensively Aidan O’Mahony and Marc O Sé will also return to bolster a defense that has impressed at times this season with a high workrate and discipline. Where is the room for Galvin at 35 and with nothing left to prove to himself in a Kerry starting 15?
It’s unclear if Galvin sought out Fitzmaurice, or if the Kingdom boss rang looking to see if his brother-in-law would be interested in giving it one more go for the Munster champions. Does Galvin feel that he can make a necessary impact in a squad that seemed to be doing well in his absence? Or is Fitzmaurice hoping that the edge that the Lixnaw hurler brings to every game can spark even fiercer competition in training behind closed doors in Killarney.
Along with the hard graft Galvin was a fine footballer and probably the best foot passer of a ball after Darragh O’Se in the Kerry squad. He could snap up scores too from short or long range and his ability to distract and enrage defenders and supporters often meant an easier afternoon for the likes of Colm Cooper and Declan O’Sullivan.
Last year’s All-Ireland final, with its slow pace and need for players to be dogged but intelligent in possession, would have suited Galvin perfectly. However, would he have lasted the pace at 34 against Mayo in Croke Park, or in the Gaelic Grounds for the All-Ireland semi finals? His fitness has never been an issue and he still appears to be in good shape, but mileage in the legs is something that catches every great player at some stage. Kerry have not done a huge amount in terms of early season training so he may not have a lot to catch up on but football has moved on since the autumn of 2013, his last seriously competitive game.
He’s doubtful to be a starter – at least initially – so will he be happy to bide his time on the bench as an impact sub? It’s unlikely that in any deal arranged to allow his return that Galvin would have even been thinking of being a sub. Kerry’s bench wasn’t too bad last year when they could call on Shane Enright or Jonathan Lyne to shore things up at the back, or Bryan Sheehan and Kieran O Leary up front.
The fairytale return for Galvin would be to play in an All-Ireland final in September and lead Kerry to their 38th All-Ireland title. His commitment to the Kingdom and his sense of Kerry is immense and he is probably one of the most passionate players ever to wear the jersey. However, passion can boil over and cloud judgement too.
Kerry players do have a recent history of coming out of retirement, most successfully with Michael McCarthy and Eoin Brosnan under Jack O’Connor. However, Kerry fans won’t want reminding that Eoin ‘Bomber’ Liston also came out of retirement in 1993 and was a spectacular failure under Ogie Moran, albeit it after a number of years away and not just the one like Galvin.
Eamon Fitzmaurice proved himself last year as a fine coach and the gamble of drawing on a 35-year-old who had seemed happy in his post-football life back to the fold is low risk for him.
For Galvin the focus is on him to prove that he can still cut it with the best. Hopefully, for his sake, the odds are in his favour.
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